Objective. Measuring NKG2C+CD57+ natural killer (NK) cell expansion to investigate NK responses against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and assessing relationships with adaptive immunity against HCMV. Methods. Expansion of NKG2C+CD57+ NK was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from groups distinguished by HCMV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection status. Anti-HCMV antibody levels against HCMV-infected MRC-5 cell lysate were assessed by ELISA and HCMV-specific CD8+ T cell responses characterized by intracellular flow cytometry following PBMC stimulation with immunodominant HCMV peptides. Results. Median NK, antibody, and CD8+ T cell responses against HCMV were significantly greater in the HCMV/HIV coinfected group than the group infected with CMV alone. The fraction of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells expressing CD28 correlated inversely with NKG2C+CD57+ NK expansion in HIV infection. Conclusion. Our data reveal no significant direct relationships between NK and adaptive immunity against HCMV. However, stronger NK and adaptive immune responses against HCMV and an inverse correlation between NKG2C+CD57+ NK expansion and proliferative reserve of HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells, as signified by CD28 expression, indicate parallel evolution of NK and T cell responses against HCMV in HIV infection. Similar aspects of chronic HCMV infection may drive both NK and CD8+ T cell memory inflation.
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that selectively respond against abnormal cells. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection causes expansion of NKG2C CD57 NK cells in vivo and NKG2C NK cells proliferate when cultured with HCMV-infected cells. This raises the possibility of an NK-cell subset selectively responding against a specific pathogen and accruing memory. To test this possibility, we compared proliferation, natural cytotoxicity and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production of NK cells from HCMV-seropositive and HCMV-seronegative individuals co-cultured with HCMV-infected or uninfected MRC-5 cells. There was no significant difference in proliferation of NK cells from HCMV-seropositive or seronegative individuals against uninfected MRC-5 cells, but significantly more NK cells from the HCMV-seropositive group proliferated in response to HCMV-infected MRC-5 cells. Natural cytotoxicity of NK cells against K562 cells increased following co-culture with HCMV-infected versus uninfected MRC-5 only for the HCMV-seropositive group. After co-culture with HCMV-infected MRC-5 cells, proliferating NK cells from HCMV-seropositive donors selectively produced IFN-γ when re-exposed to HCMV-infected MRC-5 cells. Both NKG2C and NKG2C NK cells proliferated in co-culture with HCMV-infected MRC-5 cells, with the fraction of proliferating NKG2C NK cells directly correlating with the circulating NKG2C fraction. These data illustrate an at least partly NKG2C-independent human NK-cell memory-type response against HCMV.
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